• A Japanese man hid his 600 million yen (about $3.8 million) lottery win from his wife
• He began feeling guilty, so he invested a large portion of the money in insurance to secure his family’s future

A 66-year-old Japanese man won 600 million yen (about $3.8 million) in the lottery, but decided to keep the prize a secret from his frugal wife so he could enjoy a luxurious lifestyle.

According to a Japanese newspaper, the winner is a retiree from a major manufacturing company, living in Tokyo with his wife on a combined monthly pension of 300,000 yen (about $2,000). With high living costs and expenses for their two children’s education, they had only 27 million yen (about $174,000) in savings.

He spent his days reading the newspaper at a local café, and after breakfast, he would buy a few lottery tickets at 300 yen each (about $2).

One day, he was informed that he had won a large sum and needed to visit the bank, where he discovered he had won the grand prize of 600 million yen (about $3.8 million).

Instead of telling his wife, who tightly controlled their finances, he decided to keep the money secret.

He told her he had won only 5 million yen (about $32,000) for home renovations, while secretly splurging on a luxury car, multiple stays at high-end hot spring resorts, and traveling across Japan, spending 18 million yen (about $116,000) in just six months.

To avoid suspicion, he took the subway daily to the parking lot where he kept his new car, wore old clothes, and distanced himself from his usual social circle.

But he began to feel lonely and guilty.

While traveling, he noticed other couples with their children and thought about his own family, recalling painful memories of his father, who had died alone after divorce and bankruptcy.

He realized that all his negative feelings stemmed from his sudden wealth, saying, “If I had earned this money through my own efforts, I would be proud of it. But wealth that comes without effort brings painful memories and shakes my life.”

In the end, he consulted a financial planner and decided to invest about 500 million yen (about $3.2 million) of his winnings in insurance, naming his wife and children as beneficiaries, hoping the money would provide his family security after his death.